Old and New
by IlluminatedWord
Summary: Yuugi has always had a crush on the popular kid, Yami, but he's too shy to do anything. He doesn't know that Yami likes him back. When a new guy, Atem, moves to the school, he falls for Yuugi, and doesn't think much of Yami. Will Atem win Yuugi over, will Yami work up the courage to get together with Yuugi, or will Yami and Atem realize they had more in common than they thought?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! New story, sorry it took so long. Obviously, main pairing is Mobiumshipping, or AtemXYamiXYuugi. So, for anyone who didn't catch that, yaoi. You've been warned.**

**Also, I'd like to thank everyone who supported my last story, and hope everyone enjoys this one!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh!**

* * *

Yuugi stared at the person across the room. They still had four minutes before the first class of the day started, and Yami wasn't wasting a second. He had his head buried in his hands and seemed to be catching up on missed sleep from the weekend. Other people were finishing up last Friday's homework, or just chatting with friends.

Mr. Sumato entered the room. He was in his mid-thirties, with dark hair and glasses. He wasn't the strictest teacher, but all his students knew not to push their luck in his class. Everyone hurried to their seats and quickly sat down. Yuugi glanced at Yami, who was still out of it. He looked back at his teacher, who was looking over the class.

When he got to Yami, he sighed. He walked over to Yami's desk and cleared his throat loudly. Yami shifted but didn't wake up. Mr. Sumato grabbed a ruler from the front of the room and hit it hard on Yami's desk, right near the boy's head. He jerked awake to Sumato's harsh glare. The class giggled and Yami smiled sheepishly.

"Mr. Aisuru, would you care to join us for today's lesson?" he said sarcastically.

Yami stretched and grinned. He held back a yawn and said, "Did I miss anything?"

Mr. Sumato scowled and walked back to the front of the class room. "No. You're very lucky I woke you up before I began teaching. Don't be sleeping in my class again, or I'll just let you sleep next time, and you can make up for that time in detention."

"But if I didn't miss anything, then why can't I sleep?" Yami checked the clock. "And I wasn't technically sleeping in class. We still have approximately thirty-five seconds before class begins."

Sumato scowled. He wanted to say something, but the kid was right. He settled on a small grunt while the whole class smiled, along with Yami. It was always fun to see a teacher get taken down a peg.

Sumato began the lesson for the day. Yuugi payed close attention, while Yami sat idly in his seat, playing with his pencil. A knock on the door drew everyone's attention. Sumato walked over and answered it. A few people caught a glimpse of the person outside the door before their teacher stepped out and closed the door behind him.

The class immediately erupted into whispers. It quickly circulated that the knocker had been the principal, but nobody knew why. Was someone in trouble?

After a moment, Sumato reentered the classroom, along with the principal and a boy none of them had ever seen before. Yuugi was shocked at the new kid's appearance. It was already strange enough that he and Yami looked the same, but now there was a third one? He resembled Yami more strongly than Yuugi, with crimson tip and eyes, and extra blonde bangs sticking upwards, but was much more tanned than either of them. He wore the normal school uniform, though with a bit more jewelry.

"Class, please welcome Atemu Sennen," Mr. Sumato said. The new kid bowed politely. "He's a transfer student all the way from Egypt. I expect you all to get along with him." He surveyed the seating schedule, and pointed Atemu to his seat, which would be right behind Yuugi.

Yuugi grinned at the new kid as he took his seat. He leaned back and turned his head slightly. "Hello. I'm Yuugi. I hope you like it here, Atemu."

"Please, call me Atem," he whispered back with a smile, before Sumato gave them a warning look. They quickly settled down.

The teacher droned on about that day's topic, while most of the kids were more interested in checking out Atem. He was obviously foreign, that much they could tell. And that hairstyle! It was weird enough when two unrelated people had it, much less three. He seemed more like Yami than he did Yuugi. Speaking of Yuugi, the new kid was staring at him. Atemu seemed to be ocasionally smiling at the back of Yuugi's head. He wasn't ignoring the teacher, though; he could still hear every word just fine. He simply seemed to be trying to get Yuugi's attention.

Yami looked up at the new kid. He frowned at the uncanny resemblance to himself, and Yuugi, who seemed to be the only one paying attention. Which was ironic, really, considering everyone else's attention was on him.

Yuugi was oblivious to his classmates stares and focused on the lesson until it was over. When class ended, Yuugi started packing up his things, and looked up, surprised, when he felt someone standing next to him. He smiled. "Hi, Atem. Do you know how to get to your next class?"

Atem rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "Ah, I was hoping you could show me," he said, grinning sheepishly.

"Sure," Yuugi said. "Who do you have next?"

Atem checked his schedule. "World History, with Rekishi. Anything is better than listening to that guy drone on about how interesting the Japanese language is, though. I think he invented the word 'monotony'," Atem joked.

A few kids around them laughed, and so did Yuugi. "Nice one. Come on, then. That's my next class, too. Rekishi isn't too bad. Let's head on." Yuugi picked up his things and walked out of the classroom, with Atem following closely behind.

Yuugi didn't have many friends in his first period class. Well, he didn't have many friends, period. But in his next class, he quickly met up with Ryou and Jounouchi. He introduced them to Atem.

Ryou, Atem quickly noticed, was very shy. He was very pale, and had long white hair and soft brown eyes. He quietly inclined his head as way of greeting.

Jounouchi, on the other hand, was boisterous and loud. He had blonde hair and golden brown eyes. "Hi there, Atem! You can just call me Jou; everyone else does," he greeted him with a smile. Atem couldn't help but smile back.

"Atem moved here from Egypt," Yuugi informed them.

Jou cocked an eyebrow at him. "Isn't Yami from there, too? Got a thing for Egyptians, eh, Yuugi?" he teased, making Yuugi blush. Jou laughed. "Ah, you know I'm just messing with you."

"Who's Yami?" Atem asked, curious.

Yuugi started to explain, Ryou interrupted, saying, "Yami is...popular. He's the class clown, but he never really gets close with anyone. He could probably have any person in this school with so much as a look."

"He went out with a lot of people his freshman year, but never for long." Jou continued the story. "Both boys and girls, though surprisingly few people cared. So that just basically means he has even more admirers."

Yuugi piped up with a quieter voice. "I've had a crush on him for a while now. He can pretty much have anyone he wants, but he's never really shown much interest in anyone."

Atem paid attention to that. Yuugi was gay? Not that he minded; in fact, he was rather happy about it. Just not the part where Yuugi already had a crush on someone else.

The bell rang and Ryou and Jounouchi hurried to their seats, along with everyone else. Atem stood unsurely, until Yuugi gestured for Atem to come sit next to him. He took the seat gratefully.

Yami was the last into the room, walking leisurely to his seat. Some of the students smiled at him, while the teacher didn't pay him much mind.

Mr. Rekishi stood up at the front of the room. He was an older man, with greying hair and little glasses that perched on the tip of his nose. He cleared his throat and called for Atem to come up and introduce himself to the class. It didn't really bother Atem to do this, and he suspected he would have to many more times before the day ended.

"My name is Atemu Sennen, but everyone is free to call me Atem. I'm from Egypt and I'll be here for at least the rest of the year." He raised an eyebrow in a way that said, 'What else do you want to know?' Rekishi told him he could sit back down; Atem returned to his seat next to Yuugi.

Yami considered Atem. He scowled inwardly. The guy was just so good with people. He could probably easily befriend every single person in the room. Half the things that came out of Yami's mouth were sarcastic jabs, typically directed towards a teacher. He wasn't good with regular conversation, like Atem was. And it was obvious that he already had a crush on Yuugi. Yami sighed and focused his attention back on Rekishi.

The man was talking about the Ancient Egyptians, in honor of their new addition. People always seemed to forget Yami was from Egypt, too, because of his pale skin. He rolled his eyes and tuned out again. He looked back to Yuugi. Yami wasn't good with people in general, especially those he liked. He had no idea if Yuugi liked him back; many others already did, but Yami just found the majority of them irritating. Plus he had no idea how to talk to people, lest of all Yuugi.

Atem smiled at Yuugi, noticing their subject for the day. Yuugi was right; Rekishi wasn't too bad. The man was a bit boring, taking about how strong the Egyptians must have been to be able to build the pyramids and other structures, but he wasn't terribly so.

"To help get you all immersed into history," Mr. Rekishi said, "we're going to have everyone pair up."

"Do we have to?" Yami asked. "Could we work alone if we wanted to?"

Rekishi blinked. "I suppose you could, if you really wanted to. However, you just have a week to build a representation of a historical Egyptian structure, and write at least a one page description. You will be judged on your model, description, and presentation to the class on Friday."

Yami nodded, fine with this. Rekishi announced that the class could choose their partners, and everyone immediately scrambled to get their best friend, or a kid they knew was smart. Quite a few came up to Yami. After all, he was popular AND smart, a nice combination. But he turned them all down.

Atem sat in his seat, not knowing anyone well enough to ask to be their partner. To his relief, Yuugi didn't immediately go to a friend to work with. Instead, he looked at Atem. "Would you like to partner up?" he asked.

Atem smiled gratefully. "Sure, that'd be great! When do you want to begin?"

Yuugi smiled back. "No problem, and how about you come over to my house later so we can get started?"

Before Atem could reply, Jou came up to Yuugi, excited. "Hey, Yuugi! Yami hasn't got a partner yet. I bet you could ask him." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Ryou came up behind them and rolled his eyes. "He's already turned down everyone else who's asked him. And he was the one who asked if we could work on our own in the first place. Which I'll likely be doing as well."

Jou gasped. "No, Ryou! Come on, bud! Please, be my partner? You know I'll fail!"

Ryou, too nice to say no, just sighed. "Fine. But I'm not doing all the work."

"Wouldn't you be doing that anyway if you were working by yourself?" Jou asked, confused. The bell rang, masking Ryou's groan.

Yuugi laughed at his friends. "Who do you have next?" he asked Atem.

Checking his schedule once again, Atem answered, "Mathematics, with Sugaku."

Yuugi frowned. "I don't have Sugaku at all. Do either of you two?" he asked his friends.

Jou shook his head, but Ryou nodded. "I'll show you the way, Atem." He and Atem headed off to their math class, while Yuugi and Jou went to their next class, with Jou mumbling unhappily about how they had one more whole period before lunch.

On their way there, Atem was surprised when another student, strongly resembling Ryou, came over to them and put a casual arm around Ryou. He studied Atem and then spoke. "You're the new kid, then."

Ryou introduced them to each other. "Bakura, this is Atem. Atem, this is my boyfriend, Bakura."

"Nice to meet you," Atem said. Bakura just grunted and pulled Ryou closer, making him blush. The three entered their next class, and were immediately greeted by a person with some of the craziest hair Atem had seen yet. He had a tan and wore enough jewelry to rival Atem. His hair was a sandy blonde, and stuck out impossibly. He was an imposing figure, and his "friendly" smile just succeeded in unsettling Atem even more.

"This is Mariku," Bakura said. "Mariku, this is Atem, the new kid. Where's Marik?"

Mariku sighed. "Sick. He came down with something over the weekend. Well, actually, I think he's feeling better, but we had a test second period. It was enough to give anyone a migraine."

Ryou laughed. "Sorry to hear." Before he could say anything else, the teacher walked in. The desks were set up in pairs, so Bakura pulled Ryou over to theirs. Mariku walked back to his and sat next to an empty seat, scowling at it. Atem stayed standing, not sure where he should sit.

Ms. Sugaku was a younger teacher than Atem's previous ones. She had shoulder length blonde hair, and bright eyes. She quickly noticed Atem, and asked him to come up to the front of the room.

"Class," she began, instead of having Atem introduce himself, "this is Atemu Sennen. Everyone, please be polite, and make him feel welcome. Now, does anyone have an open seat?" She surveyed the class. "Mariku?"

"No, mine's just absent."

"Well, can Atemu sit there, just for today?"

Mariku shrugged. Atem, before going to his newly assigned seat, said to the teacher, but loud enough for everyone to hear, "You can just call me Atem." He walked over and sat down next to Mariku, nodding to him. Mariku nodded back, and both boys steeled themselves for the lesson.

* * *

Yuugi rolled his eyes at Jou. "Do you really have to paint FOOD?"

"But I'm hungry!" Jou complained. "And food is definitely something I love."

Yuugi sighed and returned his attention to his own canvas. Jou had taken art class because he figured it would be easy. And, Yuugi had to admit, while his inspiration was a bit out there, Jou's pieces weren't half bad. Yuugi thought his "nature" was looking a bit...drunk. There was really no other word for it. How else could a simple landscape become so messed up? A completely disproportionate tree, a few monstrous blades of grass that didn't really fit, and his pathway wasn't looking very walkable. Yeah, drunk was the word for it.

Their teacher was walking slowly around the room. She paused by a few students, giving out compliments and criticism. She laughed at Jou's and smiled at Yuugi's. She told Yuugi to hold on a moment and returned with another student in tow. Yuugi gaped.

Yami waved slightly. He wasn't even sure why he'd been dragged over here. Not that he minded, but what was he going to say to Yuugi? This was what he had been avoiding in the first place!

Yuugi was staring at both of them. Why had the teacher brought Yami over? Yami still held a paintbrush in his hand and was twirling it between his fingers.

The teacher left them together, saying, "You're styles are distinctive, but they could easily go together. Give me a combination, a blend of you both." She gave them a whole new canvas, and went back to looking around, pairing up some other students as well.

Yuugi stood uncertainty next to Yami. Yuugi thought he looked bored. What was going through Yami's mind?

Yami was nervous, but trying not to show it. Yuugi was just...staring at him. Would he rather be working alone? Yami turned toward the canvas so he wouldn't have to see those eyes looking at him.

Yuugi took a deep breath and spoke, breaking the tense silence that had settled over them. "Um...what were you painting earlier?" Yuugi asked.

Yami cleared his throat. "A landscape. A few trees in the foreground, a mountainous background. That's all I had done, but I wasn't finished with it. What were you doing?"

Yuugi explained what he'd been drawing. Yami seemed interested, and as they both elaborated a bit more on their drawings, Yuugi discovered that Yami drew harder and sharper lines than Yuugi did, whose were typically softer and more curving.

Deciding to get started, Yuugi grabbed his brush. He started with a few strokes for the top of a tree, while Yami set to work on the trunk. As they worked, Yuugi was trying to think of something to say. Would Yami even want to have a conversation with him? Did he think this was an awkward silence, or would he prefer it if Yuugi just didn't say anything at all?

Yami wanted to start a conversation, but he had no idea how. It wasn't that he found the silence uncomfortable, he just wanted to talk to Yuugi. He never had this problem, as he could never work up the courage to be in a position to anyway. Sure, he could talk back to teachers or any smartass; but just trying to think of anything to say to someone he found attractive might as well have been impossible. He usually tried to avoid it. Yet here he was, with the perfect opportunity to talk to Yuugi. After a while, he talked himself up, finally ready to say something. "How's the - "

"So, are you - "

Both clammed up as the other one began. Yuugi blushed and ducked his head. Yami bit his lip and tried again. "How's the tree top going?"

Yuugi smiled. "Good, I think. How's the trunk coming along?"

"Wonderfully," Yami said. "Though, it's always the leaves that really steal the show, don't you think? A trunk might be interesting at first, but after a while they all look the same. The leaves are always different, and even one leaf can have many different appearances."

Yuugi frowned good-naturedly. "Oh, come on. Leaves are predictable, but trunks aren't. All trunks may not have very diverse colouring, but they can have interesting shapes. And they're really good at hiding things. You know, when winter comes, the leaves start showing it to everybody; they'll change color noticeably before falling off the tree. With the trunk, you couldn't tell. As long as you looked at it the right way, it could be all rotted inside and no one would ever know."

Yami hummed as he put on the finishing strokes. "I suppose that's true. But - "

A shrill ringing interrupted them, making Yuugi jump.

Jou was the first out of the room. He bolted around the corner to the cafeteria, yelling something that sounded suspiciously like, "Food!"

Yuugi smiled uncertainty at Yami, who grinned back. Yuugi walked out of the room, hurrying after Jou. His stomach was still doing flips. He'd just spent time with Yami, and they'd actually talked! Surprisingly enough, Yuugi reflected, he hadn't felt that nervous while the actual conversation had been going on. He'd make sure to tell Ryou, Jou, Marik...and Atem. Yuugi suddenly felt strangely guilty thinking of talking to Atem about Yami like that. But he quickly brushed away the feeling and followed Jou's loud footsteps to the lunchroom.

Yami followed behind at a slower pace, still wondering about his and Yuugi's conversation. Yuugi had seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself, and, Yuugi couldn't really hide his feelings. Still, Yami was still too nervous to try to talk to Yuugi during lunch. Maybe later, he told himself as he entered the cafeteria. Hopefully soon.

* * *

**So, what do you guys think so far? Feel free to point out any grammatical errors. **

**For those who care, the sequel to Heavenly Witch should be up soon. Title...honestly not quite sure yet. So if you have a suggestion for that, feel free to tell me.**

**I think that's all I had to say. Hope to see you guys next chapter, and as always, have a great day.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! I meant to have this up sooner, but my WiFi is a jerk. New chapter, yay! Thank you to everyone who reviewed (or favorited or followed) last chapter, especially Guest, winged sapphire wolf, Ryou Bakura13, and Starrymoon04. Glad y'all are enjoying this. Without further ado then, I present to you, Chapter Two!**

**Do not own Yugioh :)**

* * *

Atem sat next to Ryou and across from Mariku at their lunch table. Bakura sat on Ryou's other side. They were chatting aimlessly when they heard Jou enter the cafeteria, with Yuugi coming in behind him a moment later. Jou sat down a seat away from Mariku. Atem grinned happily when Yuugi sat down next to him. "Hey," Atem greeted.

"Hey," Yuugi returned. "How's your first day going so far?"

"Good, though I wish we could have shared more classes," Atem answered as more people came over to their table. One was a tall brunette with icy blue eyes who sat down next to Jou, who Ryou referred to as Seto. Another was a cheerful girl who sat down next to Yuugi, who was introduced as Anzu. The last ones over were a green eyed, black haired boy, and a tan brown haired boy. They introduced themselves as Otogi and Honda, respectively.

"Wow," Atem said. "You have a lot of friends, Yuugi!"

Yuugi blushed. "I really don't. Well, not intentionally. I knew Ryou, Anzu, Jou, and Honda. Their friends just became mine."

"Because you're just so easy to get along with, Yuugi!" Jou laughed. "You pretty much befriended Atem within minutes."

Seto rolled his eyes. "Unlike you. I don't know how any of us can tolerate you."

Jou scowled at the remark and looked ready with a retort, when Yuugi interrupted. "Guys! Come on, we have a new person here. Can you just please try to get along?" Seeing the looks they were giving each other, Yuugi sighed. "One week. Try to get along until Friday, at least, and then you can be back at each other's throats." Jou humphed, while Seto just turned away.

Atem watched the exchange with interest. "Do you guys have fights within your, um, group often?"

Honda nodded his head grimly. "Yeah, actually. But it's because half of us are in relationships with each other. Or want to be," he said, directing the last comment at Otogi, who looked back at him innocently.

"Who's dating who, then?" Atem asked curiously. "Ryou and Bakura, I know. And Mariku's dating someone named Marik?"

Yuugi nodded. "Right. That's pretty much it at the moment, though. Otogi and Honda go on and off."

"What about you, Anzu?" Atem asked the girl. "Surely you've caught someone's eye."

Anzu grinned shyly. "Not yet. I couldn't really date anyone else in this group anyway. Besides, there are seriously no cute girls who go here!"

"Exactly," Mariku smirked.

Anzu laughed. "But there is this one teacher, who I actually really like."

"Ms. Kujaku," half the group piped up, making Anzu blush. Jou smirked. "This girl's had a crush on Kujaku since freshmen year. She's thrilled to be a junior, because now she can finally be in her class."

"She's not that much older than us," Anzu pointed out. "Plus I've seen other male teachers flirt with her, and she hardly notices them. Even when she does, she doesn't care."

Jou sighed. "Lost cause, if you ask me."

"But no one did," Seto mumbled. Jou heard and clenched his teeth, but didn't reply.

"Speaking of crushes," Yuugi began nervously, "you guys will never guess who I got to paint with in art class today." He gave Jou a look, asking him not to tell. Jou just smirked.

"Who, Yuugi?" Ryou asked, amused. He could see the excitement in Yuugi's eyes and felt happy for his friend. He had a guess as to who it might be, though, especially since Yuugi mentioned the word "crush."

Yuugi grinned. "Yami. The teacher paired us up, and we actually talked!"

"Way to go, Yuugi!" Honda cheered. "Finally! What'd you two talk about? Did he ask you out?"

Yuugi giggled. "Nothing so dramatic. We actually just talked about trees. But still, we talked! And he seemed really interested in the conversation."

Atem frowned. He was glad Yuugi was happy of course, but... Yuugi was getting worked up and excited when Atem figured Yami had already forgotten about their conversation. Besides, he always appeared so stuck up. And hadn't Yami already dated a lot of people? It didn't seem like he'd really care about who he got in a relationship with. Atem had just met Yuugi, but he already liked him; he didn't want Yuugi to be a thing for Yami, forgotten about the next moment.

The rest of the group had been delighted when they heard. While they were caught up in their conversation, a person suddenly came up behind Mariku. He was tan, with the same shade of sandy blonde hair that Mariku had, but less extreme. He wrapped his arms around Mariku's neck and placed his head on his shoulder.

"Marik!" Yuugi greeted. "I thought you were sick?"

"I am!" Marik took his seat between Mariku and Jou, coughing convincingly. "I'm so very sick." He collapsed onto Mariku's lap dramatically, making Mariku roll his eyes while everyone else laughed. Sitting up, Marik looked around at everyone, quickly noticing Atem. "Hi," he said. "Who are you? Are you new here?"

"Yeah," Atem answered. "I actually just moved here this weekend. Today is my first day here. My name's Atemu, but everyone calls me Atem."

"I'm Marik. Where did you move here from?" Marik asked, curious.

"Egypt," Atem answered. Marik lit up.

"Hey, that's where I'm from! Me and Mariku, actually. That's cool. So, what do you like to do? You know, for fun."

Atem smiled. "I really like games, of all kinds. Board games, video games, but I love card games." This earned a few smirks as some people saw what was coming next.

Yuugi grinned and said, "Have you ever played the game Duel Monsters? It's a card game, my favorite." Atem shook his head and Yuugi pouted playfully. "Then I'm going to have to show you it later, when you come over."

Bakura whistled. "Already got a date with the new guy, Yuugi? Damn, kid, you work fast." Ryou smacked his boyfriend's arm. Yuugi blushed and ducked his head while Atem just laughed.

"It's not a date," Atem explained, amusement still in his eyes. "We just have to work on a project together for history."

"So what, do you two have a study date then a play date?" Mariku teased. Marik rolled his eyes.

Yuugi stuttered, his face on fire. "G-guys! I'm sure you're offending Atem."

"Why would I be offended?" Atem asked. "I certainly wouldn't think you'd make a bad date. In fact - "

Before Atem could finish, Jou burst out laughing. "Oh, Yuugi! Y-your face!" Even Seto smirked as Jou chuckled again. "Priceless."

Yuugi, though still flustered, smiled at Atem. "Thanks. That was nice of you to say."

Atem blinked. Yuugi thought he was just being nice? He bit back something he was about to say and just smiled and nodded to Yuugi. No wonder Yuugi wasn't in a relationship; he didn't realize anyone else would want to be with him. He just mistook attempts at flirting for friendship. Though judging by the looks some of the others were giving him, his advances hadn't gone unnoticed by them.

A bell sounded, pulling Atem away from his thoughts and reminding him that his day was only half over. He groaned and stood up. After some asking around, he discovered that his next class would be with Anzu and Seto. He shared his last class of the day just with Yuugi. Atem said goodbye to the other members of the group, going his way with Anzu and Seto.

Ryou watched them go, and turned to Yuugi. "Do you like him?" Ryou asked abruptly.

Yuugi's eyes widened. "What? Where did that come from? Um, shouldn't we be getting on to class?"

"We can just talk on the way," Marik suggested, coming up next to them. The three took off, walking slowly as Yuugi considered the question.

"He's a cool guy," Yuugi finally said. "I think he'll be a really great friend, because he seems nice. He gets along with everybody. He's just a likeable person. So, to answer your question, yes, I do like him."

Ryou and Marik frowned at each other. NOT what they'd meant to ask, but neither wanted to bluntly ask him. Besides, Atem hadn't even been here a day. There would be plenty of opportunities to ask the rest of the week.

* * *

Yami walked out of the lunch room, onward to his next class. Yuugi had seemed really happy during lunch, Yami thought. Of course, he couldn't accurately judge considering he couldn't hear a word any of them said.

The teacher, Miss Mai Kujaku, was standing outside the door, watching her students as they came in. She was likely the youngest teacher, just out of college and only a little older than the seniors. She had bright purple eyes with long, curly blonde hair, and she wasn't exactly flat-chested either. She greeted Yami, who nodded back.

Yami entered the classroom, and was surprised to find that he was one of the first people in. He shrugged and took his seat, sitting back and waiting for the tardy bell to ring. He talked with a few of the other kids, most of whom he didn't know but seemed to know him.

More kids began streaming in, and the ones surrounding Yami took their seats. A breathless girl and a tall boy entered hurriedly, with someone trailing behind them. As they took their seats, Yami saw that it was Atem. Miss Kujaku entered the room last, closing the door behind her right as the bell rang. Everyone who wasn't already sitting dove into their seats.

Yami sat up as the teacher called Atem to the front of the room to introduce himself. He did so, and Miss Kujaku scanned the room, looking for a place to sit him. She sighed when she saw there were no empty desks. "Okay, we're going to have to pull up a seat next to someone's desk for today. Would anyone mind sharing for a while? Better yet, do any of you know Atem?"

Yami, though tempted to put his hand up, sat still while a girl closer to the front of the room volunteered. He recognized her as Anzu, and he saw the girl blush slightly when Miss Kujaku's gaze fell on here with a smile. "Thank you, Anzu! Okay, I'll grab a chair."

Miss Kujaku did just that, and Atem sat, leaning lightly on the desk. She returned to the front of the room and grinned happily. "October's almost over, and you all know what that means. The Autumn festival will be held Thursday night. The principal informed me that this year, I could choose a class to help me with decorations. What do you guys think?"

The entire class lit up. Everyone buzzed happily at the idea of just making props instead of having to do work for almost a whole week. They thanked their teacher for the time off.

"Awesome," Miss Kujaku said. "Alright then, I think we should get started right away. We'll be splitting up into groups. One will handle the making of posters, advertising, and handing out tickets, and one will be for the actual making of streamers, decorations, and any props. Another will be for mapping out what it will look like and setting up tables, chairs, etc. So, group one is advertising. Group two is design. Group three is set up. Don't worry, there will be kids from other classes to help us. We will be working primarily in class, but any day after school that you're free, it would be helpful if you could stay after. Questions?"

"Do we have to participate?" Yami immediately spoke up. Honestly, he didn't particularly mind. He was just curious.

The teacher smiled sweetly. "Of course not. So long as you're fine with doing everybody's work, that is."

Students giggled quietly as Yami raised an eyebrow. "Just making sure the option was there."

"Moving on," the blonde said. Turning her attention back to the rest of the class, she continued, "Take a moment to decide what group you would prefer to be in, then I'll split you all up. You can get acquainted with the other members of your group and get a little work done before you can finally get on to your next class."

Most people quickly spoke with their friends, debating the pros and cons that accompanied each group. Atem looked at Anzu. "Any idea what you want to do?"

The girl shrugged and shook her head. "I'm not sure. Maybe the advertising...but then I think I might also really like to design things. Atem, which one are you going to do?"

Atem frowned. "I don't know. I could do set up, just so I wouldn't be in such a crowded group. I doubt many people will choose that. And you're very friendly with people; maybe you should do the advertising one so you can sell the tickets."

"Maybe," Anzu said. A few people had already chosen, so she headed up to the teacher's desk to tell Miss Kujaku her decision. Atem stayed in his seat, still considering. Eventually he just shrugged and stood, deciding to be in the set up group. He wouldn't have too much work until later in the week, and he doubted very many people would be in it.

Yami was one of the last people to go up. People were already trying to get their groups rounded up. He grinned at the teacher. "Can I go ahead and get started on everyone's work?"

Miss Kujaku snickered. "Oh, of course. Which group, Yami?"

The boy pouted playfully. "If I have to choose...I'll just be in the least crowded one. I'll do whatever, really."

She nodded. "Okay, you can either be in advertising or set up. Both have an equal number of people. That number is six, by the way. Everyone wanted to be in the design group. Whichever one you don't pick, I'm probably going to be helping out in."

"I'll do set up, then," Yami said. "I don't really want to advertise."

Miss Kujaku nodded at his decision. "Then there's not much for you to do at the moment. Just get to know who else will be in your group. I know Seto will be."

Yami moved away and saw Seto talking with Atem. Did that mean... Yami walked up to the pair. "Which group are you two in?" he asked.

Seto turned to him. "We're both in the third. You?"

"Same," Yami said, nodding his head to Atem. "Yami Aisuru. You're Atemu, right?"

"Atem," the other boy corrected. "Hi there."

Whatever Yami was about to say next was drowned out as the bell rang and everyone streamed out, eagerly trying to get to their final class and finally out of school.

"Remember," Miss Kujaku called, "stay afterwords if you can! We'll be meeting up in the gymnasium, be there from three to five if possible."

"That's actually where I'm heading next," Atem told Seto. "Could you show me where it is?"

Seto shook his head. "Sorry. My next class is on the whole other side of the school. You could try asking Anzu."

"I could show you," Yami offered.

Atem blinked. He'd forgotten Yami was even there. Yami...Yuugi's crush! Maybe Atem could figure out why Yuugi liked Yami and not him, considering their similarities. He nodded warily. "Sure, thanks."

The two exited the classroom, accompanied by many whispers. "I bet he likes the new kid!" "But he hasn't dated anyone in ages!" "Is the new kid even gay?" "They'd be so cute together!"

Yami sighed and ignored the whispers, but Atem couldn't help but listen out of one ear. He shuddered when he heard some of them. "So," Yami began, snapping Atem back. "Do you like it here so far?"

"Yeah," Atem answered. "I've already met a lot of cool people. Most of the teachers seem pretty nice, too."

Yami nodded and they walked in silence for some time. After a while, Atem broke it. "I heard you were from Egypt. Did you like it there?"

Yami was surprised. Not very many people knew that, or at least bothered to remember. "Who told you that?"

"Jounouchi," Atem answered.

Yami nodded, recognizing the name. "I don't remember much about Egypt though," he said. "We moved away when I was very young. My mother didn't like living there and didn't want her son growing up there, but my dad didn't want to move. So I moved here with my mom." Yami mentally slapped himself. Why was he saying all this? He barely told anyone this story anymore.

"Oh," Atem said. Yami was being surprisingly open, he thought. He felt he owed him the same. "My mom died when I was really little. My dad just passed recently, right before we were supposed to move here."

"I'm sorry," Yami said. Atem wasn't half bad, he thought. If he didn't like Yuugi...Yami shook his head as they arrived at the gym. "Bye then," he said. "See you tomorrow, I guess."

"Yeah," Atem said. "Tomorrow." Yami left as Atem entered the gym. Maybe the guy wasn't a total jerk. He looked around and quickly spotted Yuugi in a group of kids. He hurried over, grinning. "Hey," he greeted, tapping his arm.

Yuugi turned and smiled. "Hey! You're in luck. We don't have to do much this week; we'll be moving everything around to get ready for this year's Halloween-Autumn Celebration."

Atem cocked his head. "Is a thing for Halloween or autumn?"

Yuugi giggled. "Both, I guess. It was originally an autumn thing, but it was held so close to Halloween that some kids dressed up. So technically it's a thing for fall, but a lot of the students don't act like it."

"Will you be dressing up?" Atem asked.

Yuugi shrugged. "I didn't last year, but I know Jou, Anzu, Marik, and Mariku are planning on it. I think it would be really cute if Ryou and Bakura did. Jou wants me to dress up, but I have no idea what I could be."

"I think you'd pull off anything," Atem told him.

Yuugi grinned and blushed slightly. "Thanks. I think you should dress up, too! It'll be really fun."

"Maybe," Atem laughed.

The gym teacher suddenly called everybody over. They worked on moving things into corners and pushed the bleachers in a little bit. They got a break right before it was time to leave. Atem took a seat next to Yuugi, who was leaning against the wall. They sat together for a while before Yuugi asked, "Did you enjoy your first day here?"

"Very much," Atem said. "I'm glad I got to share so many classes with you, as well. That made it even better."

Yuugi smiled. "That's good, and thanks. I'm glad we had a lot of the same classes too. Especially History. I doubt I'd be able to work on that project alone."

"No problem. So, do I just walk home with you?" Atem said.

"That'll work," Yuugi replied. "Just so you know, though, I live in a game shop with my grandfather."

"Really?" Atem said. "Do you just not live with your parents, or..."

"My dad is always traveling," he answered. "I don't really get to see him. My mom was in a car accident."

"I'm sorry, Yuugi," Atem said softly.

"It's alright. I like living with my grandpa." Yuugi smiled. "I just wanted to give you a heads up on the fact."

"Thank you for telling me. I've lost people as well. And you said you live in a game shop? That seems cool."

"Yeah." Yuugi grinned happily. "We have a lot of Duel Monsters cards I can show you. I think you'll enjoy it."

"I'm sure I will," Atem said. "Though I have to warn you, I'm very good at games."

"Is that right?" Yuugi raised an eyebrow. "I have to warn you, I've never lost a game."

"Is that a challenge?" At Yuugi's chuckle, Atem said, "You are so on."

The bell rang and the pair exited the building. They saw Jou and Seto standing outside. "Freedom!" Jou whooped. Seto sighed. Yuugi waved as they walked past. Seto nodded and Jou waved back.

Atem smiled at the awkward pair they made. Once they were out of earshot, he said to Yuugi, "Don't they hate each other?"

Yuugi laughed. "Their's is more of a love-hate relationship." Atem nodded, not really understanding. They walked the rest of the way to the game shop in silence, enjoying the other's company.

**Is it still good? If you noticed any typos or anything (I felt a bit rushed to get this up) point 'em out. And what do you guys want Atem and Yuugi's costumes to be? Should Yami dress up? If so, what as? Questions, I need opinions! **

**And Guest! Hey friend, you're back! :D Seriously though, this would be a lot more efficient if you got an account on here. It's free, and it would be easier to talk that way.**

**Well, till next time, friends! Bye, and have a good day.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey people! Sorry for the almost week long wait D: Technology hates me, and school is starting back soon...ugh. In addition to that, I'll be playing soccer on a traveling team AND for the school's team. So yeah, I'll be a bit busy. Don't be too surprised if I randomly disappear, but I'll try to keep up with my updating and try to avoid abandoning you guys again.**

**Of course, thanks to you all who reviewed, especially with costume ideas! Those make me happy :3 As do people just reading this story. Hey, if you're happy, I'm happy. But really, I appreciate all the reviews, even if I don't show it by updating fast T_T **

**Don't own Yugioh, obviously. On with the story already!**

* * *

Sugoroku sighed as the uncertain customer finally left, satisfied. It had been a surprisingly busy day for a Monday, and he was already worn out. The last customer had been shopping for a friend, and kept second guessing their present choice. It had taken almost twenty minutes to get them out, but now, thankfully, he could sit down. He could have a well-deserved break, maybe even a quick nap - .

The store bell tinkled as yet another person entered the shop. Sugoroku's groan stopped as he saw who it was. "Yuugi! Oh, thank goodness, I really need some help down here...who's this?" he said as Yuugi came up to the front with a person who strangely resembled him.

"Grandpa, this is Atem," Yuugi introduced him. "We're working on a project for school together."

Sugoroku sighed. "The one day you have a friend over, it's busy..."

"Do you need extra help?" Atem said. "I wouldn't mind helping out, if you'd like me too."

The old man smiled gratefully. "That would be wonderful! As long as you're sure it's not a problem."

Atem smiled. "No problem." He looked at Yuugi. "As long as you don't mind doing it."

Yuugi laughed. "Of course I don't. I'm just glad you offered; I would have felt terrible if I'd had to force you to do it. What do you need us to do then, Grandpa?"

"Just help customers find what they're looking for. I'll stay up here and work the register, is if that's alright with you boys. My legs could use a rest." Sugoroku took a seat and said, "Thank you both again."

"Anytime, Mr. Muto," Atem said.

Sugoroku laughed. "Call me Grandpa. Everyone else does."

Atem smiled, and the boys set down their school bags and got to work. It was busy, especially considering the time of week. Still, nearly every person left satisfied. As evening approached and the rush slowed considerably, Sugoroku told the boys they could go upstairs and work on their project. "Grab yourself something to eat too, while your at it," he added.

"Do you want me to bring you anything?" Yuugi asked.

Sugoroku shook his head. "I'll be closing up soon; I just figured I could hold it down here while you two got started on your work."

"Thanks Grandpa!" Yuugi called as he led Atem upstairs. They picked up their backpacks and Yuugi took them upstairs to his room, while Atem called home.

"Yes - yeah, I know." Yuugi caught the end of Atem's conversation as he came into the kitchen. "I will. Yes, okay. No...okay. Bye." Atem ended the call and rubbed his eyes tiredly, stuffing his phone in his pants pocket. Yuugi backed up a little bit, then reentered the room noisily.

Atem immediately perked up. "Hey! Sorry, I was just calling home to let them know I wouldn't be home for dinner," he explained.

Yuugi nodded. "It's alright." He walked into the kitchen, with Atem following behind. He looked into the fridge and pulled out enough food for three. He made himself and Atem a quick meal, and wrapped the third, setting it back in the fridge.

Atem sat at the table while Yuugi did this. He stood up and took his plate from Yuugi. "You made your grandpa a meal too?" Atem said, with a slight note of unintentional surprise in his voice.

"Yeah," Yuugi laughed. "He'd probably forget to eat otherwise. Come on, we can eat while we work." They hurried up the stairs, and Yuugi showed him the way to his room. He grabbed their bags from where he set them and handed Atem's to him. "Let's get started, then."

After talking about it for a while, they decided that they would build a replica of the Temple of Hatshepsut out of homemade clay Yuugi had gotten from the art room - with permission, of course. They figured most everyone else would choose the Sphinx or the Pyramids of Giza, so they choose something a bit different. They nibbled on their dinner and talked about school as they worked. By working together, they managed to get the base work and the ramp done surprisingly quickly.

Yuugi stretched and checked his bedroom clock. He jumped up when he saw it was half past eight. "It's getting late. What time do you need to be home by?"

"Whenever," Atem said. He continued to make some light touches to what they already had done. The colourless clay they were using would harden overnight, and they would add on more the next time they built it up.

"Won't your parents be worried?" Yuugi said, confused.

"No," Atem said quietly, pulling his hands away from the project and setting them in his lap. "My parents are dead."

Yuugi mentally slapped himself for his careless comment. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I had no idea. But if that the case...then who are you living with?"

"My uncle. We don't usually get along, though, so I may as well be living alone." Atem waved a hand. "But that's no fun. I think we're done with this for today. Now, what was that Duel Monsters game you mentioned earlier?"

Yuugi smiled, hiding his unease with Atem's situation. Not that he was weirded out; more like he was worried. "I'll show it to you tomorrow. It's a bit late for that now."

Atem agreed and Yuugi walked him downstairs and put up their plates. Atem politely refused his offer of accompaniment for his walk home, and started out the door.

Yuugi walked back upstairs, deep in thought. His grandpa was at the kitchen table, finishing up his meal. "Grandpa," Yuugi started.

"Hmm?" Sugoroku stood and put his dishes in the sink, then turned and faced his grandson.

Yuugi wrung his hands, a nervous habit. "Is it okay to like two people at the same time? Like, have a crush on two people?"

"I don't see how there could be anything wrong with that, so long as you don't hurt anybody." Having known Yuugi's preference for a little over a year now, he said, "And would the young man who just left happen to be one of these people?"

Blushing, Yuugi bit his lip. "I think so. Because there's him and another guy, and both of them are really nice. Atem's a really good friend, and I've liked Yami for forever, but I can't like both of them like THAT, can I?" Yuugi was so caught up in little tirade that he didn't even notice the fact that he'd named his crushes. "The thing is, I think both of them only want to be friends. And even if one of them did somehow like me back, I don't know if I could actually go out with him. I'd feel like I was cheating, and I know how stupid that sounds. Or if both of them liked me, I don't think I actually could choose..." Yuugi collapsed in a chair, and put his chin in his hands.

Sugoroku came over and rubbed his back. He didn't say anything, giving Yuugi a moment to gather his thoughts as he gathered his own. Yuugi took a deep breath. "Sorry about that." He chuckled. "I just..."

"It's fine," Sugoroku assured him kindly. "Now, have you calmed down a bit?" Yuugi nodded, and his grandfather smiled. "Good. Now, I think I understood most of that. Atem was the one who just left, the good friend?"

"Yeah," Yuugi agreed. "And Yami is...well, he's just Yami. And I always thought he was almost out of reach. And then during art class, he and I were actually talking. He probably just wanted to be friends from what I could tell, but still. I would even be fine with being just friends. At least I KNOW I'm just friends with Atem."

Sugoroku sighed. "I'm not sure what to tell you." He stood, and helped Yuugi up. "Why don't you sleep on it?" he said. "Maybe you'll feel better about it in the morning."

"Maybe," Yuugi said. He smiled weakly and headed to his room. He examined the work he and Atem had gotten done on their project. If they kept up this pace, who knew? They might even get it finished by Wednesday. He laid down, on his bed, contemplating his situation.

He'd only known Atem for a short while. Still, he liked him. He usually trusted his gut instinct on these things, and it was almost always right. He'd thought Jounouchi and Honda were nice guys, even when they bullied him. And now they were best friends. Of course, he hadn't liked Atem romantically the moment that met. But over the course of the day, Yuugi really started warming up to him. And when he felt that irrational worry over Atem, when he should have just felt pity instead, he realized that he genuinely liked the guy.

With Yami...it had always been a mystery. Yuugi didn't know where he stood; heck, he hadn't even been sure Yami knew his name. Yami was always out of reach, and not just his. He was just THAT guy, that everybody knew, and half the grade had at least a slight crush on. Yami had friends, but no close ones. He has relationships, but no long ones, though it never seemed to really be his fault. He didn't talk about himself a lot, but everyone knew he lived with his mom and step-dad. He was just such a sarcastic smart ass that he was somehow likable.

Yuugi sighed and began getting ready for bed. It was almost ten as he finally crawled into bed, and eventually drifted off.

* * *

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Atem muttered as he walked down the street. Yuugi had actually been the one to offer! Smooth move on his part, turning him down. He'd missed out on an almost-date. He had a good reason, though; he was not taking the chance of Yuugi having an encounter with his uncle. Not yet, at least.

Atem saw someone coming towards him from up the street, heading towards where he'd just come from. At first he thought it was Yuugi, but as the person got closer, he recognized the more hardened features. "Yami?" Atem called.

The two neared each other, slowing and eventually stopping face to face. "Hey," Yami said. "What are you doing out here?"

"Walking home," Atem answered.

"Make sure you're careful if you're ever walking around here at later night," Yami warned. "Where had you been at?"

"I was over at Yuugi's house." Atem didn't add anymore, thinking Yami already knew about him and Yuugi working together on the project. He was in their class, after all.

The memory completely flying over his head, Yami was curious about why he had been over at Yuugi's house, and so late too. Surely he hadn't been over there since school had let out? No, that would actually be worse. He almost forgot to reply. "Oh. Yeah, I'll get going then."

"Oh-okay. Bye, see you tomorrow." Atem was startled by Yami's abrupt departure, and he decided against asking why he'd been out here. Was he really so eager to get away from him? And he was heading the same way Atem had just come from. Surely he wasn't going...

They nodded at each other and went their separate ways, both heads filled with their own suspicions. Yami turned off the road a little after the encounter. A few more turns later, he'd arrived back home. Well, no. In a home you felt safe, free to be yourself. At his house.

Yami pushed open the door, and was rewarded with silence. He breathed out, and snuck past the couch where a still figure lay, snoring loudly. Yami wrinkled his nose in disgust. Apparently worn out from the shouting match. It was stupid and predictable.

"What are you so damn happy about?"

"Can I not be happy? I hadn't realized you regulated my emotions."

"Don't do that sarcastic bull! I was just asking a question."

"I was just giving an answer."

"Don't you even start."

"Talking?"

Stomp. "Want me to call her?"

"There's no reason too! You're just over reacting over absolutely nothing!"

"I'll give you something to over react about!"

"Whatever! This is so pointless." Slam.

And then basically a repeat of that later, but longer and stupider, which drove Yami out of the house to walk off some steam. Gosh, the guy was so obnoxious. He realized that he was at fault for the fight, too, but it wasn't like he could really help it.

Maybe his irritation at his "dad" had made him quick with Atem. But he wasn't thinking about that as he checked on his mom, said goodnight, then headed quietly to his room. He changed and collapsed, exhausted, onto his bed.

* * *

Yuugi sat tiredly in class the next day. His sleep the previous night hadn't been great. He'd spent a lot of it jerking awake randomly. Apparently his subconscious didn't want to deal with his problems, either.

He brightened when Atem entered, smiling. "Hi," Yuugi said.

"Hey there," Atem said, taking his seat behind Yuugi. "Sorry I was a bit rude yesterday when I was leaving."

"No reason to apologize," Yuugi said with a little laugh. "Besides, you weren't rude."

Yami walked in as Atem was about to say something. Just seeing him brought back the little suspicions that he'd had the previous night. Unfounded? Maybe. Irrational? Definitely. But then, weren't most suspicions?

Yami eyed the two, then went over. "Hey there." He smiled at Yuugi.

Yuugi giggled, noticing the fact that both of them had greeted him the same way. It was almost an echo, considering how similar their voices were. "Hey," he said, not noticing the friction between the others. They nodded at each other, and Yami took his regrettably far away seat as the bell rang.

Sumato began the day's lesson, which commanded almost no one's attention. Yuugi thoughts were on two individuals in particular. Those two leered at each other, though neither noticed the other doing it to him. The class passed witch each person wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Everyone jumped in their seats as the bell rang. Unsurprisingly, Sumato held them back five minutes, making everybody late to their next class. Yuugi sighed as he entered his history class and Rekishi gave them extra work. Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Sorry once again! I really am...ah, well, what's the verdict? Was it worth the wait? Sorry if this is a bit lacking in, you know, action. XD Any thoughts, I'd love to hear them.**

**Hope you liked it, and as always, good day, guys.**


End file.
